The Films I Saw in 2016
by seanmoconnor92 | created - 03 Feb 2016 | updated - 24 Jan 2017 | PublicRanking from worst to best.
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1. Miracles from Heaven (2016)
PG | 109 min | Biography, Drama, Family
Based on the incredible true story of the Beam family.
Director: Patricia Riggen | Stars: Jennifer Garner, Kylie Rogers, Martin Henderson, Brighton Sharbino
Votes: 28,399 | Gross: $61.71M
2. Risen (2016)
PG-13 | 107 min | Action, Drama, History
In 33 AD, a Roman Tribune in Judea is tasked to find the missing body of Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead.
Director: Kevin Reynolds | Stars: Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton, Peter Firth, Cliff Curtis
Votes: 30,831 | Gross: $36.87M
3. God's Not Dead 2 (2016)
PG | 120 min | Drama, Fantasy
When a high school teacher is asked a question in class about Jesus, her response lands her in deep trouble.
Director: Harold Cronk | Stars: Melissa Joan Hart, Jesse Metcalfe, David A.R. White, Hayley Orrantia
Votes: 13,448 | Gross: $20.77M
4. The Young Messiah (2016)
PG-13 | 111 min | Drama, Fantasy
Tells the story of Jesus Christ at age seven as he and his family depart Egypt to return home to Nazareth. Told from his childhood perspective, it follows young Jesus as he grows into his religious identity.
Director: Cyrus Nowrasteh | Stars: Adam Greaves-Neal, Vincent Walsh, Sara Lazzaro, Sean Bean
Votes: 3,893 | Gross: $6.46M
5. The Bronze (2015)
R | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
A foul-mouthed former gymnastics bronze medalist with local celebrity status reluctantly trains a rising Olympics aspirant.
Director: Bryan Buckley | Stars: Melissa Rauch, Gary Cole, Haley Lu Richardson, Thomas Middleditch
Votes: 13,482 | Gross: $0.62M
6. Ben-Hur (2016)
PG-13 | 123 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother, an officer in the Roman army, returns to his homeland after years at sea to seek revenge, but finds redemption.
Director: Timur Bekmambetov | Stars: Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Rodrigo Santoro, Nazanin Boniadi
Votes: 46,859 | Gross: $26.41M
7. Hardcore Henry (2015)
R | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Henry is resurrected from death with no memory, and he must save his wife from a telekinetic warlord with a plan to bio-engineer soldiers.
Director: Ilya Naishuller | Stars: Sharlto Copley, Tim Roth, Haley Bennett, Danila Kozlovskiy
Votes: 101,935 | Gross: $9.25M
8. Last Days in the Desert (2015)
PG-13 | 98 min | Drama, Fantasy, History
An imagined chapter from Jesus' forty days of fasting and praying in the desert. On his way out of the wilderness, Jesus struggles with the Devil over the fate of a family in crisis.
Director: Rodrigo García | Stars: Ewan McGregor, Ciarán Hinds, Tye Sheridan, Ayelet Zurer
Votes: 4,460
9. Before the Flood (2016)
PG | 96 min | Documentary, News
A look at how climate change affects our environment and what society can do to prevent the demise of endangered species, ecosystems and native communities across the planet.
Director: Fisher Stevens | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ban Ki-moon, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mike Brune
Votes: 28,871
10. I'm Not Ashamed (2016)
PG-13 | 112 min | Biography, Drama
The true story of Rachel Joy Scott, the first student killed in the Columbine High School shooting on April 20, 1999.
Director: Brian Baugh | Stars: Masey McLain, Ben Davies, Cameron McKendry, Terri Minton
Votes: 4,180 | Gross: $2.08M
11. The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015)
PG-13 | 108 min | Biography, Drama
The story of the life and academic career of the pioneer Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan, and his friendship with his mentor, Professor G.H. Hardy.
Director: Matt Brown | Stars: Dev Patel, Jeremy Irons, Malcolm Sinclair, Raghuvir Joshi
Votes: 62,158 | Gross: $3.87M
12. Priceless (II) (2016)
PG-13 | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A widower who's lost custody of his daughter finds himself unable to hold down a job. He agrees to drive a truck cross-country, no questions asked, but when he discovers the nature of his cargo, he is faced with a life-changing decision.
Director: Ben Smallbone | Stars: Joel Smallbone, Bianca A. Santos, David Koechner, Jim Parrack
Votes: 4,135 | Gross: $1.50M
13. Eye in the Sky (2015)
R | 102 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Col. Katherine Powell, a military officer in command of an operation to capture terrorists in Kenya, sees her mission escalate when a girl enters the kill zone triggering an international dispute over the implications of modern warfare.
Director: Gavin Hood | Stars: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman, Barkhad Abdi
Votes: 91,512 | Gross: $18.70M
14. Deadpool (2016)
R | 108 min | Action, Comedy
A wisecracking mercenary gets experimented on and becomes immortal yet hideously scarred, and sets out to track down the man who ruined his looks.
Director: Tim Miller | Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Ed Skrein
Votes: 1,126,071 | Gross: $363.07M
15. Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)
PG | 95 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Continuing his "legendary adventures of awesomeness", Po must face two hugely epic, but different threats: one supernatural and the other a little closer to home.
Directors: Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh Nelson | Stars: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie
Votes: 189,452 | Gross: $143.53M
16. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
PG-13 | 151 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Batman is manipulated by Lex Luthor to fear Superman. Superman´s existence is meanwhile dividing the world and he is framed for murder during an international crisis. The heroes clash and force the neutral Wonder Woman to reemerge.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg
Votes: 752,586 | Gross: $330.36M
17. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
PG-13 | 132 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
In 1926, magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York during his worldwide tour to research and rescue magical creatures as something mysterious leaves trails of destruction in the city, threatening to expose the wizarding world.
Director: David Yates | Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler
Votes: 507,866 | Gross: $234.04M
18. Star Trek Beyond (2016)
PG-13 | 122 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
The crew of the USS Enterprise explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy, who puts them, and everything the Federation stands for, to the test.
Director: Justin Lin | Stars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana
Votes: 258,547 | Gross: $158.85M
19. The Lobster (2015)
R | 119 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
In a dystopian near future, according to the laws of The City, single people are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in 45 days or they're transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods.
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos | Stars: Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Jessica Barden, Olivia Colman
Votes: 296,687 | Gross: $8.70M
20. The BFG (2016)
PG | 117 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
An orphan little girl befriends a benevolent giant who takes her to Giant Country, where they attempt to stop the man-eating giants that are invading the human world.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Penelope Wilton, Jemaine Clement
Votes: 93,282 | Gross: $55.48M
21. The Birth of a Nation (2016)
R | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
Nat Turner, a literate slave and preacher in the antebellum South, orchestrates an uprising.
Director: Nate Parker | Stars: Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, Penelope Ann Miller, Jackie Earle Haley
Votes: 21,823 | Gross: $15.86M
22. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
PG-13 | 147 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Political involvement in the Avengers' affairs causes a rift between Captain America and Iron Man.
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo | Stars: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan
Votes: 850,330 | Gross: $408.08M
23. Doctor Strange (2016)
PG-13 | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
While on a journey of physical and spiritual healing, a brilliant neurosurgeon is drawn into the world of the mystic arts.
Director: Scott Derrickson | Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong
Votes: 805,298 | Gross: $232.64M
24. Hail, Caesar! (2016)
PG-13 | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
A Hollywood fixer in the 1950s works to keep the studio's stars in line.
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes
Votes: 143,188 | Gross: $30.50M
25. The VVitch: A New-England Folktale (2015)
R | 92 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession.
Director: Robert Eggers | Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Julian Richings
Votes: 301,066 | Gross: $25.14M
26. Finding Dory (2016)
PG | 97 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Friendly but forgetful blue tang Dory begins a search for her long-lost parents and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.
Directors: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane | Stars: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill, Kaitlin Olson
Votes: 303,590 | Gross: $486.30M
27. Pete's Dragon (2016)
PG | 102 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The adventures of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliott, who happens to be a dragon.
Director: David Lowery | Stars: Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oakes Fegley, Oona Laurence
Votes: 61,688 | Gross: $76.23M
28. Swiss Army Man (2016)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A hopeless man stranded on a deserted island befriends a dead body, and together they go on a surreal journey to get home.
Directors: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert | Stars: Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Antonia Ribero
Votes: 133,635 | Gross: $4.21M
29. Knight of Cups (2015)
R | 118 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
A writer indulging in all that Los Angeles and Las Vegas have to offer, undertakes a search for love and self via a series of adventures with six different women.
Director: Terrence Malick | Stars: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman, Brian Dennehy
Votes: 29,440 | Gross: $0.56M
30. Love & Friendship (2016)
PG | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Lady Susan Vernon takes up temporary residence at her in-laws' estate and, while there, is determined to be a matchmaker for her daughter Frederica--and herself too, naturally.
Director: Whit Stillman | Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Chloë Sevigny, Xavier Samuel, Emma Greenwell
Votes: 26,432 | Gross: $14.01M
31. American Honey (2016)
R | 163 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
A teenage girl with nothing to lose joins a traveling magazine sales crew, and gets caught up in a whirlwind of hard partying, law bending and young love as she criss-crosses the Midwest with a band of misfits.
Director: Andrea Arnold | Stars: Sasha Lane, Shia LaBeouf, Riley Keough, McCaul Lombardi
Votes: 46,465 | Gross: $0.66M
32. Hidden Figures (2016)
PG | 127 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.
Director: Theodore Melfi | Stars: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner
Votes: 255,364 | Gross: $169.61M
33. Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
R | 117 min | Comedy
In 1980, a group of college baseball players navigate their way through the freedoms and responsibilities of unsupervised adulthood.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Blake Jenner, Tyler Hoechlin, Ryan Guzman, Zoey Deutch
Votes: 58,644 | Gross: $3.37M
34. Captain Fantastic (2016)
R | 118 min | Comedy, Drama
In the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a father devoted to raising his six kids with a rigorous physical and intellectual education is forced to leave his paradise and enter the world, challenging his idea of what it means to be a parent.
Director: Matt Ross | Stars: Viggo Mortensen, George MacKay, Samantha Isler, Annalise Basso
Votes: 235,166 | Gross: $5.88M
35. Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)
PG-13 | 111 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
The story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York heiress who dreamed of becoming an opera singer, despite having a terrible singing voice.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg, Rebecca Ferguson
Votes: 59,592 | Gross: $27.38M
36. Deepwater Horizon (2016)
PG-13 | 107 min | Action, Drama, History
A dramatization of the disaster in April 2010, when the offshore drilling rig called the Deepwater Horizon exploded, resulting in the worst oil spill in American history.
Director: Peter Berg | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, Douglas M. Griffin, James DuMont
Votes: 182,546 | Gross: $61.43M
37. Moana (I) (2016)
PG | 107 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
In ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by the demigod Maui reaches Moana's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out Maui to set things right.
Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker, Don Hall, Chris Williams | Stars: Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison
Votes: 378,335 | Gross: $248.76M
38. Zootopia (2016)
PG | 108 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy.
Directors: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush | Stars: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate
Votes: 546,550 | Gross: $341.27M
39. Sing Street (2016)
PG-13 | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A young lad notices a beautiful girl who begins to occupy his thoughts. While struggling with poverty, personal relationships and life's woes, he starts a band, hoping to catch her attention.
Director: John Carney | Stars: Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Aidan Gillen, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Jack Reynor
Votes: 100,965 | Gross: $3.24M
40. Loving (2016)
PG-13 | 123 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The story of Richard and Mildred Loving, a couple whose arrest for interracial marriage in 1960s Virginia began a legal battle that would end with the Supreme Court's historic 1967 decision.
Director: Jeff Nichols | Stars: Ruth Negga, Joel Edgerton, Will Dalton, Dean Mumford
Votes: 36,386 | Gross: $7.70M
One of two films this year from director Jeff Nichols, who's quickly become one of my favorite filmmakers. "Loving" could have easily been a heavy-handed political statement, but instead it's a quiet, intimate, and slow (maybe a little too slow) story of a simple family with a lot of love to give.
41. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
PG-13 | 133 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire's ultimate weapon of destruction.
Director: Gareth Edwards | Stars: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen
Votes: 686,660 | Gross: $532.18M
A more straightforward narrative that's not as compelling as the best "Star Wars" films, but it still manages to stand on its own as an entertaining action movie. The last five minutes alone are worth the price of admission.
42. Patriots Day (2016)
R | 133 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The story of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the aftermath, which includes the city-wide manhunt to find the terrorists responsible.
Director: Peter Berg | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monaghan, J.K. Simmons, John Goodman
Votes: 112,497 | Gross: $31.89M
43. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
PG-13 | 103 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A young woman is held in an underground bunker by a man who insists that a hostile event has left the surface of the Earth uninhabitable.
Director: Dan Trachtenberg | Stars: John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr., Douglas M. Griffin
Votes: 354,889 | Gross: $72.08M
I saw this as a standalone film having never seen 2008's "Cloverfield", and man, I was pleasantly surprised. Few studio films today have so much faith in small-scale storytelling like this, but it made the suspense in this film so much more intense. Great job, co-screenwriter Damien Chazelle, I can't wait to see what you do next. Oh wait...
44. Sully (2016)
PG-13 | 96 min | Biography, Drama
When pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger lands his damaged plane on the Hudson River in order to save the flight's passengers and crew, some consider him a hero while others think he was reckless.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Valerie Mahaffey
Votes: 298,207 | Gross: $125.07M
What do we care more about in our work: details or people? That's the message I got out of "Sully", which is neither Tom Hanks' nor Clint Eastwood's best film, but still a quietly moving portrayal of the Miracle on the Hudson.
45. Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
PG | 101 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A young boy named Kubo must locate a magical suit of armour worn by his late father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past.
Director: Travis Knight | Stars: Charlize Theron, Art Parkinson, Matthew McConaughey, Ralph Fiennes
Votes: 138,441 | Gross: $48.02M
The most compelling and visually strong animated film I saw this year. "Kubo and the Two Strings" takes a lot of risks in its setting, its characters, and its suspense. And in my opinion, we need more of that in animated films today.
46. Life, Animated (2016)
PG | 92 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama
A coming-of-age story about a boy and his family who overcame great challenges by turning Disney animated movies into a language to express love, loss, kinship and brotherhood.
Director: Roger Ross Williams | Stars: Owen Suskind, Cornelia Suskind, Ron Suskind, Walter Suskind
Votes: 6,178 | Gross: $0.26M
Even if you're not big into documentaries, if you're a fan of anything Disney, this film will most likely make you weep. A precious story about a precious family.
47. Fences (2016)
PG-13 | 139 min | Drama
A working-class African-American father tries to raise his family in the 1950s, while coming to terms with the events of his life.
Director: Denzel Washington | Stars: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo
Votes: 118,070 | Gross: $57.68M
Some of the strongest performances of 2016 come from this stage-to-screen adaptation, the most moving of which is (in my opinion) Viola Davis, who I hope gets the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
48. Weiner (2016)
R | 96 min | Documentary
An examination of disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner's mayoral campaign and today's political landscape.
Directors: Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg | Stars: Anthony Weiner, Huma Abedin, Jordan Zain Weiner, Barbara Morgan
Votes: 10,534 | Gross: $1.61M
A documentary that must have been hard to pull off in many ways, the main reason being: how do you make this disgraced politician sympathetic, given everything he's done and gone through? But the film does it. You laugh, for sure, but every once in a while, your heart breaks, and that's an impressive feat.
49. Queen of Katwe (2016)
PG | 124 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
A Ugandan girl sees her world rapidly change after being introduced to the game of chess.
Director: Mira Nair | Stars: Madina Nalwanga, David Oyelowo, Lupita Nyong'o, Martin Kabanza
Votes: 18,686 | Gross: $8.81M
On one hand, this is another rags-to-riches sports movie like we've seen from Disney in the past. On the other hand, it's a cross-cultural experience. Watching "Queen of Katwe" and its completely unique visual, musical, and acting styles, you feel like you've visited Uganda. The film also contains probably my favorite David Oyelowo performance, which is saying a lot after 2014's "Selma". More people need to see this movie.
50. The Jungle Book (2016)
PG | 106 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan forces him to flee the jungle, a man-cub named Mowgli embarks on a journey of self discovery with the help of panther Bagheera and free-spirited bear Baloo.
Director: Jon Favreau | Stars: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba
Votes: 292,138 | Gross: $364.00M
Most of us already know this coming-of-age story from past adaptations. But this film still delivered something so new in its execution that it ended up being one of the best movies I saw this year, with some of the best visual effects and voice acting I've ever seen in a movie, period.
51. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
R | 139 min | Biography, Drama, History
World War II American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, serving during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.
Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer
Votes: 594,496 | Gross: $67.21M
It can't be easy to make a movie where the protagonist's journey, which traditionally is to change behavior, is in fact to NOT change behavior and instead to maintain his convictions. But "Hacksaw Ridge" pulls it off and creates one of the most brutal and most moving war films of this decade.
52. Midnight Special (2016)
PG-13 | 112 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A father and son go on the run, pursued by the government and a cult drawn to the child's special powers.
Director: Jeff Nichols | Stars: Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver
Votes: 84,033 | Gross: $3.71M
Jeff Nichols' other film this year that completely exceeded my expectations. A powerful allegory of parenting and the conflict of holding on versus letting go, expressed by the film's visual style that both pays homage to classic sci-fi but also takes bold, new risks. One of the most overlooked films of 2016.
53. Hell or High Water (II) (2016)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Toby is a divorced father who's trying to make a better life. His brother is an ex-con with a short temper and a loose trigger finger. Together, they plan a series of heists against the bank that's about to foreclose on their family ranch.
Director: David Mackenzie | Stars: Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges, Gil Birmingham
Votes: 252,624 | Gross: $27.01M
It starts out seeming just like a conventional contemporary Western, but it ultimately turns into a complex character study of the lengths people can go in order to achieve some kind of redemption. It's funny, it's exciting, it's moving, and it's worth a watch.
54. A Monster Calls (2016)
PG-13 | 108 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
Conor, a twelve-year-old boy, encounters an ancient tree monster who proceeds to help him cope with his mother's terminal illness and being bullied in school.
Director: J.A. Bayona | Stars: Lewis MacDougall, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell
Votes: 93,857 | Gross: $3.74M
55. Arrival (II) (2016)
PG-13 | 116 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A linguist works with the military to communicate with alien lifeforms after twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world.
Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg
Votes: 771,556 | Gross: $100.55M
Just when I thought Denis Villenueve's next film was going to be "Blade Runner 2049", he says, "Surprise!" and unveils the best sci-fi film of 2016. By the film's end, I felt just as compelled and as mind-blown about what I'd just seen as the film's protagonist does (played extraordinarily by the great Amy Adams).
56. O.J.: Made in America (2016)
TV-MA | 467 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.
Director: Ezra Edelman | Stars: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mike Albanese, Muhammad Ali, Marcus Allen
Votes: 21,902
What I thought would simply be a retelling of a court case I'd already heard about, turned out to be a sprawling epic about racial relations in the U.S. over several decades. The best and most unique documentary of the year.
57. Manchester by the Sea (2016)
R | 137 min | Drama
A depressed uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.
Director: Kenneth Lonergan | Stars: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges
Votes: 313,908 | Gross: $47.70M
The best acting ensemble of 2016. I left the theater after seeing "Manchester By the Sea" and felt less like I'd just seen a movie and more like I'd just visited this family's house for a couple hours. Doesn't get more authentic than that.
58. Moonlight (I) (2016)
R | 111 min | Drama
A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.
Director: Barry Jenkins | Stars: Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Trevante Rhodes, Alex R. Hibbert
Votes: 331,979 | Gross: $27.85M
The visual storytelling in "Moonlight" is unparalleled to many other films from this year or even this decade. A strong story about finding one's identity rather than becoming a product of his environment, the film itself refuses to succumb to visual or storytelling clichés of films in a similar setting. Moving stuff.
59. La La Land (2016)
PG-13 | 128 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
While navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future.
Director: Damien Chazelle | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Rosemarie DeWitt, J.K. Simmons
Votes: 671,877 | Gross: $151.10M
There's a great conflict at work in "La La Land", the struggle to hold on to happiness of the past while resolving to move ahead into the future. The film expresses this conflict not just through the journeys of its characters but also through its paying homage to classical and contemporary filmmaking techniques. It's immensely entertaining the first time you watch it, but it becomes even more powerful upon further reflection. The best film I saw in 2016.
60. Silence (I) (2016)
R | 161 min | Drama, History
In the 17th century, two Portuguese Jesuit priests travel to Japan in an attempt to locate their mentor, who is rumored to have committed apostasy, and to propagate Catholicism.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson, Tadanobu Asano
Votes: 123,020 | Gross: $7.10M
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